Nick Reiner Smirks in Court As His Famous Attorney Walks off The Case | Crime Alert Recap 01.10.2026

Summary

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: Nick Reiner Smirks in Court As His Famous Attorney Walks off The Case | Crime Alert Recap 01.10.2026

Release Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Crime Stories Team (Jennifer Gould reporting)

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Main Theme

This episode delivers a rapid-fire breakdown of the day’s most shocking and high-profile crime stories. The central focus is the dramatic shakeup in the Nick Reiner double-murder trial after his powerhouse attorney dramatically quits, but the episode also recaps major legal developments involving Harvey Weinstein, a heartbreaking Tennessee familicide, and a puzzling double homicide in Ohio.

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1. Nick Reiner Double Murder Trial Meltdown

[00:33 – 04:48]

Key Points & Timeline

• Courtroom Chaos:

  • Nick Reiner, son of famed director Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner, is accused of murdering his parents in December 2025.
  • In a dramatic turn, his high-profile defense attorney Alan Jackson (famed for defending Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey) abruptly withdraws from the case mid-court appearance.
    • Quote: “No choice but to walk away from the case.” — Alan Jackson [01:13]
  • Jackson attributes the split to “circumstances beyond Nick's control.”
  • Speculation mounts that the Reiner family cut funding for legal fees, leaving Nick to face the death-penalty case with a public defender.

• Grisly Crime Details:

  • The murder scene at the Reiner Brentwood mansion is described as a “blood drenched war zone.”
  • Victims were found with throat slits in their beds after a family fight at Conan O’Brien’s home.
  • Nick Reiner, described as a troubled addict with 17 stints in rehab, was arrested nearby hours after the killings.
  • Prior LAPD records show repeated domestic incidents at the Reiner residence over the past decade.

• Legal Prospects:

  • New public defender Kimberly Greene now scrambles with the looming threat of a death penalty.
  • DA Nathan Hockman signals the case will be tried as a “multiple murder special circumstances” eligible for capital punishment.
  • Next court date set for February 23, 2026.
    • Quote: “Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that. Print that.” — Legal Analyst [02:24]

• Notable Moment:

  • Nick’s reaction to losing his lawyer: “Let out an eerie, chilling smirk” [01:13]

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2. Harvey Weinstein Considers Guilty Plea Amid Tumult

[04:48 – 09:10]

Key Points & Timeline

• Legal Developments:

  • Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein contemplates a guilty plea to avoid a third New York trial and additional prison time.
  • Judge Curtis Farber denied Weinstein’s effort to overturn a previous conviction; a new trial for unresolved third-degree rape is set for March 3.
  • Weinstein insists:
    • Quote: “I acknowledge my unfaithfulness and wrongful actions, but I have never assaulted anyone.” — Harvey Weinstein in court [04:48]

• Jury Turmoil:

  • Weinstein’s lawyers claim previous verdict was compromised by jury bullying, infighting, and external pressures.
  • Juror statements describe feeling “threatened... I just gave in.”
  • Judge Farber refutes these claims as normal jury tensions—not grounds for dismissal.

• Big Picture:

  • This legal saga spans two states and nearly a decade, at the heart of the #MeToo movement.
  • Weinstein has consistently denied all non-consensual contact and is appealing his California convictions as well.

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3. Tennessee Familicide: A Father Speaks Out

[09:10 – 11:10]

Key Points & Timeline

• Tragedy Strikes:

  • Heather Thompson allegedly killed her two sons and elderly grandmother before taking her own life in Humphreys County, Tennessee.
  • Victims: Arias Thompson (4), Isaiah Johnson (13), Evelyn Johnson (88).
  • Jeremiah Thompson, the boys' father/stepfather, shares his devastation:
    • Quote: “If you’re feeling overwhelmed…you can just say…take the boys for the summer. I would have gladly done that.” — Jeremiah Thompson [10:36]

• Emotional Fallout:

  • J. Thompson voices shock at having missed warning signs and reflects on numbness and loss.
    • Quote: “In the first four or five hours, I think I cried out, I’m numb to everything… it does suck.” [10:12]
  • The investigation continues; the community is raising funds for burial.

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4. Ohio Dentist and Wife Found Executed: A Twisting Mystery

[11:10 – 15:26]

Key Points & Timeline

• Mysterious Murders:

  • Dr. Spencer Tepe and wife Monique discovered shot to death in their Columbus home while kids slept unharmed.
  • A cryptic 911 call from the home two months earlier indicated serious but “not physical” domestic strife, but Monique’s brother-in-law asserts the caller’s voice wasn’t Monique’s.

• Unsolved Intrigue:

  • Days before the murder, a neighbor reports a terrifying attempted break-in.
  • On the morning of December 30, the couple’s coworkers discover their bodies after Spencer fails to arrive at work—children’s cries are heard through the window.
  • Police find evidence of an intruder (spent shell casings, no forced entry) and release footage of a hooded figure near the scene.
  • Police “emphatically dismiss” murder-suicide; motive and perpetrator remain unknown.
  • Quote: “Friends say the Tepes were ‘madly in love’…still acted like newlyweds.” [13:32]

• Call for Tips:

  • Columbus Homicide and Crime Stoppers seek any leads.

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Notable Quotes

• Alan Jackson on withdrawal: “No choice but to walk away from the case.” [01:13]
• Legal Analyst on Nick Reiner: “Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that. Print that.” [02:24]
• Harvey Weinstein’s courtroom statement: “I acknowledge my unfaithfulness and wrongful actions, but I have never assaulted anyone.” [04:48]
• Jeremiah Thompson (familicide father): “If you’re feeling overwhelmed…you can just say… take the boys for the summer. I would have gladly done that.” [10:36]
• On the Ohio Tepe couple: “Friends say the Tepes were ‘madly in love’…still acted like newlyweds.” [13:32]

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Important Timestamps

• Nick Reiner trial chaos: [00:33 – 04:48]
• Harvey Weinstein’s legal moves: [04:48 – 09:10]
• Tennessee familicide coverage: [09:10 – 11:10]
• Ohio dentist couple double homicide: [11:10 – 15:26]

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Episode Tone & Style

The reporting is fast-paced, packed with lurid and unsettling details, and delivers a blend of legal analysis and human emotion. Jennifer Gould adopts an investigative, urgent tone, relaying quotes from legal figures, victims’ relatives, and direct source material. The episode’s structure gives each case ample room for dramatic detail and analysis, matching Nancy Grace’s trademark “tough questions” style even in Grace’s absence.

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Overall Summary

This episode immerses listeners in the raw immediacy and complexity of America’s most shocking recent crimes. From a celebrity murder trial thrown into disarray and Hollywood’s most notorious mogul contemplating a plea, to personal stories of anguish and unresolved double homicides, the stories are gripping, emotional, and filled with the twists that make true crime so compelling. Listeners come away both informed and unsettled, with justice hanging stubbornly in the balance.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Jennifer Gould]

Crime Alert Hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Jennifer Gould. The high stakes murder trial of Hollywood heir Nick Reiner descended into absolute chaos Wednesday when his celebrity defense attorney abruptly dumped his client in open court, leaving the accused double killer to face a double murder rapid with a public defender. The judge then addressed him in court. Do you waive your right to be.

[Court Reporter]

Arraigned today so that your matter may be continued to February 23, 2026 for arraignment? Yeah, I agree.

[Jennifer Gould]

Nick. The 32 year old son of legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner sat in standard jail scrubs and let out an eerie, chilling smirk as his legal powerhouse, Alan Jackson announced he had, quote unquote, no choice but to walk away from the case. The courtroom shakeup sent shock waves through the Stanley Mosque courthouse just as Reiner was slated to be arraigned for the grisly December 2025 slaughter of his parents. Jackson, who has represented Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and who recently most famously secured an acquittal for Karen Reed, held a frantic closed door meeting with the judge before emerging to announce his departure. Outside the courthouse, Jackson hinted at a massive internal fracture, stating that quote, unquote, circumstances beyond Nick's control and made it impossible to continue. And that although he's removing himself from the case, he continues to back Nick's innocence.

[Legal Analyst]

Listen, what we've learned, and you could take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that. Print that.

[Jennifer Gould]

Insiders whisper that the Reiner family may have pulled the huge plug on the millions in legal fees required to keep a top tier firm on the case. The details of the crime remain stomach churning. Rob, 78, and Michelle, 70, were reportedly found with their throats slit in their beds hours after a heated holiday blowout. And at comedian Conan O' Brien's home, prosecutors allege Nick, a troubled drug addict with 17 stints in rehab, snapped and carried out a frenzied knife attack so violent it left the Brentwood mansion looking like a blood drenched war zone. Nick's sister Romy Reiner found her dead parents after a massage therapist was left waiting outside the Reiner gate with no response from inside. Nick was arrested a few hours later, 20 minutes away from the crime scene. This horror was a powder keg years in the making. Records revealed the LAPD had been called to the Reiner residence at least six times since 2013 and two times in 2019 for family violence, mental health crises and welfare checks. Despite a decade of domestic terror and drug use, the parents allowed Nick to live in a guest house on the property. While Reiner's new public defender Kimberly Greene scrambles to catch up. Los Angeles DA Nathan Hockman made it clear the state is eyeing the death penalty for the multiple murder special circumstances case. At his first court appearance last month, Nick was forced to wear a blue suicide smock, but he's since been taken off suicide watch as the 32 year old stares down a potential needle. Reiner remains held without bail with his next date with Destiny set for February 23rd.

[Court Reporter]

Harvey Weinstein is considering a guilty plea to address an unresolved rape charge and potentially avoid a third trial in New York. As mentioned by a judge on Thursday during discussions about a possible plea, the fallen film executive remained defiant, stating in court, I acknowledge my unfaithfulness and wrongful actions, but I have never assaulted anyone. This statement came after Judge Curtis Farber denied his request to overturn his sole conviction from a previous trial regarding the forced oral sex of a woman in 2006, which could lead to a 25 year prison sentence. In that same trial, a jury acquitted Weinstein of similar allegations involving another woman from 2006 and was deadlocked on a charge of raping a hairstylist and actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan Hotel in 2013. Weinstein's attorneys claim that the verdict from last June was compromised due to conflicts and bullying among jurors. Farber dismissed these arguments, setting a new trial date for March 3rd for the unresolved third degree rape charge, which carries a maximum sentence of four years less than Weinstein has already served. I am disappointed with today's ruling, weinstein told the judge. You witnessed a trial and saw how external forces deprived me of my fundamental right to a fair trial. He accused one juror of having a personal agenda that influenced deliberations, intimidating others and spreading false claims, which he argued destroyed any chance of impartiality. And after Judge Farber's ruling, Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Adalia, expressed a desire to explore plea negotiations before meeting privately with the judge, prosecutors and other defense lawyers to discuss the situation. Shortly thereafter, Farber returned to the bench to inform the court that Weinstein wished to take some time to consider his options. This latest development marks another complicated chapter in the former Hollywood moguls lengthy legal battle which has unfolded over seven years, including trials in two states states and a reversal of a conviction and a retrial that ended in turmoil in New York last year. Weinstein has consistently denied all allegations against him. The charges against him emerged the charges against him emerged from a wave of sexual harassment and assault claims that surfaced in 2017, igniting the MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. Initially, Weinstein acknowledged the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past while maintaining that he never engaged in non consensual sex. At trial, Weinstein's defense argued that the women involved accepted his advances in hopes of securing work in the entertainment industry, later falsely accusing him for financial gain and publicity. The split verdict last June was unusual as several jurors requested to address the judge about tensions within the jury. In a series of exchanges, one juror reported feeling ostracized by others. The foreperson referenced jurors discussing Weinstein's past inappropriately and another juror claimed discussions were progressively positive. The foreperson later returned to the judge to express concerns over being pressured to change their stance, stating they feared for their safety after a fellow juror threatened I'll see you outside. Judge Farber highlighted the confidentiality of juror discussions and reminded jurors not to disclose their proceedings. Since the trial, Weinstein's legal team has spoken to the first juror who raised concerns and another who remained silent. In sworn statements, both expressed disbelief in Weinstein's guilt but conceded to peer pressure from aggressive jurors. One juror recalled feeling threatened after an insult regarding her intelligence and said, finally I just gave in. Weinstein's lawyers argue that the tensions constituted threats that tainted the deliberation process. Asserting that was unfair for his client, prosecutors contend that the judge was made aware of only isolated instances of contentious interactions which quote, can be normal among jurors. Currently held in New York, Weinstein is also appealing a separate rape conviction in Los Angeles.

[Jeremiah Thompson]

A father in Tennessee is speaking publicly after investigators say a mother killed her two young sons and their grandmother before taking her own life. Investigators with the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office say four people were found dead Friday morning during a welfare check at a home on East Little Richland avenue. Authorities believe 32 year old Heather Thompson shot her two young sons and her grandmother before taking her own life. The victims were identified as 4 year old Arias Thompson, 13 year old Isaiah Johnson and 88 year old Evelyn Johnson. Jeremiah Thompson is Arias's biological father and Isaiah's step stepfather. He says he has been part of Isaiah's life since the boy was a baby. He and Heather were separated but still talked every day. When he first received the call that his family was gone, he misunderstood.

[Interviewee (Friend or Family Member)]

And I thought like they moved, they all moved away. Which blew my mind because my, my wife and I, we, we were going to get a house out here.

[Jeremiah Thompson]

Thompson tells WSMV the reality did not sink in right away. He describes the first hours as overwhelming.

[Interviewee (Friend or Family Member)]

I was like I'm sorry if I'm not feeling emotional. And the first four or five hours I, I think I CR out. I'm thinking I'm numb to everything, you know. It does, it does suck.

[Jeremiah Thompson]

Thompson describes Isaiah becoming more involved in sports and learning instruments. He says Arias loved being around his older brother and liked to pester him. Thompson says he never saw any warning signs.

[Interviewee (Friend or Family Member)]

If you're feeling overwhelmed, why don't just let me know? Like you can just say hey, like hey B, like I need a break. Can you please take the boys for the summer or for the rest of the year? I would have gladly done that, you know.

[Jeremiah Thompson]

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting as the case remains under review pending autopsy results. A community memorial for all four family members is scheduled at the Humphreys County Funeral Home. It is open to the public. Thompson has also launched a GoFundMe to help bring his sons back to New Mexico for burial, which is $2,000 shy of its $20,000 goal.

[Jennifer Gould]

911 call has surfaced from the home of a beloved Ohio dentist and his wife revealing a sobbing woman reporting a heated domestic dispute just two months before the pair was executed in their upstairs bedroom. Spencer Tepe, 37 and his wife Monique, 39 were found riddled with bullets while their two toddlers and family dog remained unharmed. Downstairs this early morning distress call from April 15, 2025 captured a woman wailing to dispatchers that she end quote. My man got into it, end quote. At 2:45 in the morning, listen says.

[911 Dispatcher]

911 we just got a hang up call. Is everything okay? Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm okay. Well it sounds like you're crying. I'm okay, I promise. I'm just emotional. Well how'd you call 911 in the first place? Argument got a clue. But I'm okay, I promise. You guys were just arguing. Nobody hit each other. Yes.

[Jennifer Gould]

While the caller insisted the fight was not physical, Monique's brother in law Rob Misle says the voice is, quote, obviously not Monique and quote, suggesting a guest or third party was involved in the late night drama. The mystery deepens as a neighbor just down the street reported a terrified 911 call on December 19, just 11 days before the murders, claiming a stranger was smashing and banging on her door at 2:30am the woman told dispatchers someone was trying to get in, but the intruder vanished before police arrived at the home, located just a three minute walk from the Tepes. The nightmare officially unfolded on the morning of December 30th when Spencer's boss at Athens Dental Depot called 911 from Florida, frantic because the devoted dentist who was always on time had failed to show up for work. Co workers and a friend rushed to the Wineland park residence after an uneventful police response and were met with the sound of children crying inside. Looking through a window, they made a bone chilling discovery. Spencer's body was crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood next to the bed. Officials say Spencer had reportedly been blasted multiple times and Monique was hit in the chest with a bullet sometime between 2am and 5am the calculated violence stands in jarring contrast to the couple's private life. Friends say the Tepes were, quote, madly in love, end quote. End quote. Still acted like newlyweds as they approached their fifth anniversary. In a tragic twist of fate, the couple was brutally slaughtered inside the very house where they were married back in 2021. Detectives recovered nine millimeter spent shell casings on the second floor, but found no weapon and no signs of a break in. Authorities have emphatically dismissed the possibility of a murder suicide. The hunt continues also for a person of interest caught on grainy surveillance footage trudging through a snow dusted alley behind the home during the morning hours in which authorities believe the couple was killed. Clad in a dark hooded coat and light pants, the figure moves with a calculated slowness and their face is not seen. Authorities have been tight lipped about a possible motive in the murders as the Tepe children remain with relatives. Columbus police are desperate for leads. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the video, figure or more to call Homicide at 614-645-4730 or Crime Stoppers at 614-618477. More crime and justice news after this.

[Podcast Host]

This is an IHEART podcast. Guaranteed human.